Tag Archives: RCAF Association

With the 1st of April, 2019 officially behind us, our RCAF Association’s “Five-Year-Countdown to RCAF100” is very much underway;

Five years from now, when the time arrives on 1 April 2024, we hope to be a force front-and-centre, leading the country’s air force-focused commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the creation in 1924 of Canada’s air force;

Between now and then, we also hope to learn how you might like to become involved;

We need RCAF Association Community Leaders to join our team:

If you belong to a Wing, and you are willing to be your Wing’s RCAF100 “Navigator”, please send us your contact information – we need “Navigators” throughout the association, and especially in each of the Wings;

We also need RCAF Association “RCAF100 Navigators” in communities across the country, so if you are a member-at-large, and you are willing to be your community’s “Navigator”, please send us your contact information soonest;

If you have fun “blogging”, or you are active with social media tools, and you would like to help us with our RCAF Association CMS (Blog-based) website and social media activities, please let us know;

A national committee is forming as we speak – members of the National Executive Council have participated in two recent RCAF100 idea-sharing meetings – watch for a report in a future issue of Airforce magazine;

We would like to hear from all of our members, about ideas they believe are worthy of consideration, to commemorate this very auspicious anniversary;

We also need to hear from our RCAF Association Wing and MAL members who reside in communities wherein an RCAF memorial may be located – part of our commemorations will involve seeking support to have memorials refurbished and renewed, where needed. If you have a memorial in your community, please send us a story and status update about your memorial;

Finally, over 200,000 aviators saw service during the Second World War, and tens of thousands have served in Canada’s air force over the past seven decades – help us reach out to surviving families and loved ones, so that we might include them as part of our efforts to remember all of the men and women who defined Canada’s air force, since 1924;

We have commissioned a special RCAF Anniversary Membership commemorative coin, and a special membership certificate for any member wishing a multi-year (5-year) membership meaning their membership will be active at the time we commemorate the RCAF Anniversary in 2024. Selling now, the five-year membership is currently discounted from $270 down to $228. You won’t want to miss this special discount offer – every Regular member is eligible – Wing or MAL!

If you are already a life-member (Honorary or otherwise) but you would like to receive the coin and certificate, please call or write to Dianne in the kitshop, and we will send you the coin and certificate ($10 + taxes shipping & handling charge applies);

If you have already renewed, but you would now like to take advantage of this new and significant discount, give us a call and we will be pleased to include you, and credit what you have already paid toward your membership beyond 1 July 2019;

On 6 June 2019 Canada will mark the 75th Anniversary since the Normandy Invasion. The RCAF Association members and RCAF supporters are invited to commemorate this auspicious event, wearing a lapel pin suitable for the occasion.

We encourage any members of the Royal Canadian Legion that are eligible for this research to participate.

Comrades,

The researchers behind the recent survey on the signs and symptoms of mild hypoxia are extremely grateful for your high response rate to their survey. In fact, having initially expected to collect data from only 150 responders, the online tool automatically stopped collecting data after 200 surveys had been completed (by generating an error message). They have now rectified this problem, and can collect data from an additional 350 responders until 31 March 2019 at which point the link will be closed permanently. Please feel free to complete the survey at your convenience. The researchers are truly grateful for your support, and apologize for any inconvenience. The link to the survey appears below (two spaces have been added after the https: in the first link to help avoid it being stripped by the DWAN (military-government) servers; copy and paste into your browser and delete the two spaces to make it work):

We aren’t sure if any of our members qualify to participate in this research.

Dear Member,

The Department of National Defence (DND) Research & Development Canada (DRDC) is conducting a survey specifically for (all) aircrew, on the signs and symptoms of Mild Hypoxic Hypoxia. The link to the survey is here: https://caehf.limequery.com/618468?lang=en . Please share this link with all of your aircrew colleagues and friends who may wish to contribute to this important scientific flight-focused research.

Please note that the online survey can be completed using any internet browser running on a computer or a smartphone. The survey is expected to 10-15 minutes to complete, for which the responder will receive $13.37 in stress remuneration. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Skies In a two-by-three metre wind tunnel at the National Research Council of Canada’s (NRC) aerospace research centre in Ottawa, aerospace engineers are gathering data for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to validate the placement of the sniper pod on the centreline station of the CF-188 Hornet.READ MORE

Government of Canada2018 marks the 75th anniversary of Operation Chastise, the legendary Dambusters Raid, which occurred on the night of 16/17 May, 1943. Seventy-five years ago, 19 Avro Lancaster bombers, with British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand crews, departed from England on a daring nighttime bombing mission code named “Operation Chastise.” Their goal was to strike river dams, with the result of disrupting water supplies and industrial production and diverting resources from other aspects of the German war effort. READ MORE

Globe and Mail A Canadian soldier has been appointed deputy commander at the United Nations Command in South Korea, a post that will place Lieutenant-General Wayne Eyre at the centre of deliberations over the future of the Asian Peninsula. The United Nations Command is the multinational force that was created in response to North Korean aggression more than half a century ago and which defended South Korea during the Korean War.READ MORE

Skies On May 4, 2018, LGen Al Meinzinger assumed command of the Royal Canadian Air Force from LGen Mike Hood, who has retired from the Canadian Armed Forces. Following are Meinzinger’s remarks from the change of command ceremony, held at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa.READ MORE

iPolitics The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. On May 12, 1958, the United States and Canada, recognizing that it made more sense to defend the airspace of North America together rather than separately, signed the first NORAD agreement.READ MORE

National Post The 55-year-old planes used by the Canadian military’s iconic Snowbirds aerobatic team will be kept flying until 2030. Aircraft avionics will be modernized on the CT-114 Tutors to comply with upcoming aviation regulations and the life of the aircraft extended for another 12 years, according to April 2018 Royal Canadian Air Force documents obtained by Postmedia. The avionics upgrade is required if the planes are to continue flying in North American airspace. It is unclear at this point what other work will also be needed to be done on the aging aircraft.READ MORE

RCAFNotice is hereby given, as required by the Constitution and By-Laws, that the 2nd Biennial General Meeting of the RCAF Association will be held in Calgary, Alberta, 12 to 14 October 2018, with convention headquarters located at the Hotel Arts as described below. READ MORE

Ian Allan Travel On Aug. 17, 1917, South African General Jan Smuts presented a report to the British government’s War Council setting out his ideas on the future of air power. The report was duly approved and led to the formation of the world’s first air force being born on the April 1, 1918. The Royal Air Force (RAF) was formed by the amalgamation of the squadrons and military personnel of the British Army’s “Royal Flying Corps” (RFC) with the Royal Navy’s “Royal Naval Air Service” (RNAS).READ MORE

RCAF Envisioned as Canada’s premier and world class youth development movement, the Air Cadet program seeks to encourage and enhance the development of well-adjusted, civic minded youth in undertaking leadership roles in a great Canada and a better world. The Air Cadet League of Canada’s mission is to promote Canadian youth to develop an interest in aviation and aerospace and to provide opportunities to engage in enriching program elements such as physical education, music and public speaking. Since 1941, the Air Cadet League of Canada has supported the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, both financially and through the efforts of our dedicated volunteers, to ensure that Canada’s Supporting Air Cadets makes a difference in the lives of young people. Let’s work together to make sure that every Cadet has the opportunities — donate today! READ MORE

Government of Canada Command of the Royal Canadian Air Force changed hands at a ceremony held May 4, 2018, in Ottawa. The new commander of the RCAF, Lieutenant-General Al Meinzinger, assumed command from Lieutenant-General Mike Hood at a ceremony held at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa and presided over by General Jonathan Vance, chief of the defence staff. READ MORE

Government of Canada Four generations of the Murray family, along with some 70 other people, were present at the ceremony welcoming Honorary Colonel Stuart Murray, the newly appointed honorary colonel of 17 Wing Winnipeg, Manitoba, held on March 21, 2018, at the officers’ mess. “I’m very honoured to welcome Honorary Colonel Murray to the 17 Wing family,” said wing commander Colonel Andy Cook. “His breadth of political and corporate experience will serve us very well in years to come.” READ MORE

Canadian Defence ReviewCAE and KF Aerospace, two Canadian military pilot and aircrew training leaders, have announced that they have aligned to form SkyAlyne Canada Inc., a 50/50 joint venture that will focus on developing and delivering world-class military pilot and aircrew training in Canada. By establishing the SkyAlyne joint venture, CAE and KF Aerospace are bringing together two Canadian companies with unmatched experience and capabilities in the delivery of pilot and aircrew training in Canada.READ MORE

Top AcesTop Aces recently announced that it reached 70,000 hours of air combat training excellence worldwide. The event occurred during a training mission for the Canadian Armed Forces near Victoria, British Columbia. Training provided by Top Aces preserves valuable fleet life of military front line fighters and enhances military operational effectiveness. READ MORE

MagellanMagellan Aerospace (“Magellan”) announced that a number of major contract extensions and new awards have been made by The Boeing Company to Magellan. Multi-year contract renewals were agreed to for the manufacture of titanium wing fittings for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the detail manufacture and assembly of the tanker door for the Boeing 767-2C aircraft. In addition, Magellan was also awarded a new multi-year contract to manufacture winglet components for the Boeing 737 MAX. The components and assemblies associated with these multiple contracts will be delivered from Magellan’s facilities in New York, New York and Middletown, Ohio.READ MORE

RCAFNotice is hereby given, as required by the Constitution and By-Laws, that the 2nd Biennial General Meeting of the RCAF Association will be held in Calgary, Alberta, 12 to 14 October 2018, with convention headquarters located at the Hotel Arts as described below. READ MORE

Ian Allan Travel On Aug. 17, 1917, South African General Jan Smuts presented a report to the British government’s War Council setting out his ideas on the future of air power. The report was duly approved and led to the formation of the world’s first air force being born on the April 1, 1918. The Royal Air Force (RAF) was formed by the amalgamation of the squadrons and military personnel of the British Army’s “Royal Flying Corps” (RFC) with the Royal Navy’s “Royal Naval Air Service” (RNAS).READ MORE

RCAF Envisioned as Canada’s premier and world class youth development movement, the Air Cadet program seeks to encourage and enhance the development of well-adjusted, civic minded youth in undertaking leadership roles in a great Canada and a better world. The Air Cadet League of Canada’s mission is to promote Canadian youth to develop an interest in aviation and aerospace and to provide opportunities to engage in enriching program elements such as physical education, music and public speaking. Since 1941, the Air Cadet League of Canada has supported the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, both financially and through the efforts of our dedicated volunteers, to ensure that Canada’s Supporting Air Cadets makes a difference in the lives of young people. Let’s work together to make sure that every Cadet has the opportunities — donate today! READ MORE

75th Anniversary of D-DayJune 6, 2019 at 6:00 pm – 7:30 pmMarines' Memorial Club & Hotel, 609 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USAOn 6 June 1944, 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces launched one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history along a 50-mile stretch of the coast of Normandy, France. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the end of WWII in Europe, Brigadier (Retd.) Roderick Macdonald MBE and Dr. Seth Givens will…